How to share a boat this summer, the seafaring experience for all budgets

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Neither Russian oligarch, nor

, nor any relation to an Onassis.

"There is still much to demystify on the high seas: Sailing is not for the rich," says Álvaro García de Polavieja, CEO of Sailwiz, the Spanish platform that allows you to

with other people, making vacations at sea much more accessible.

The idea is simple.

Sailwiz puts skippers or boat owners in contact with users who want to go out to sea.

It is an alternative for those who like to sail but do not have

, or other people to accompany them, which are the three barriers that ordinary mortals normally come up against.

"We did not want to be the 'Airbnb of boats', but rather the 'Balblacar of the sea,'" says García de Polavieja, referring to the popular car-sharing app.

As on land, the most direct advantage of sharing a boat is that it is much cheaper.

There are departures for a day, a weekend or longer routes.

"You can sign up by yourself or with friends and you only pay

."

And how much are we talking about?

"In the Balearic Islands, the most demanded place in the summer, most trips are less than 1,000 euros per week and person."

According to García de Polavieja, "Spain is one of the countries with the

the world. Perhaps we lack the maritime culture of other places, such as France or Holland, but sailing has never been easier."

The offer ranges from fishing excursions to excursions to watch the sunset.

Nor has there ever been so much supply.

From an afternoon excursion to see the sunset in Formentera to a fishing trip with an expert who teaches you and knows how to take you to the best places in Altea.

Sometimes sailing is combined with other activities: catamaran with yoga for a week, or climbing or

.. There are also more educational crossings that teach users how to navigate so that they can participate in the maneuvers and be able to steer the boat themselves.

"One of the best things about sailing is that most of the supply is sailboats: catamarans whose fuel costs are

. We still have the wind for free."

It is true that in recent times something more than wind has blown in this sector.

"The last few years have been a

", says the founder of this

that was born in 2017. After the months of confinement, the desire for safe and open-air destinations triggered the sale and rental of boats in 2020 throughout the world.

Today Sailwiz has more than 20,000 users.

This year, as it is Xacobeo, some of those users are also pilgrims.

It is becoming more and more popular to do the

, with crossings that depart from France and cross the Cantabrian coast to the Rías Bajas and then make a final stretch on foot to Santiago de Compostela.

One of these routes, the

is even more spectacular.

This year he left Genoa (Italy) and went around the Iberian Peninsula towards the city of the Apostle in a fleet of classic ships.

Beyond the summer, the nautical activity does not stop.

To begin with, because the Balearic and Canary Islands are waters in which you can navigate all year round.

Also because November to January is the Atlantic crossing season.

"There are many ships that go from Europe to America to spend the season in the Caribbean. The journey takes about twenty days, so this is for the more adventurous."

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